eBay is the most searched platform for buyers looking to buy items be it new, old or vintage. It’s easier to shop on, you get what you want delivered to your door step and you don’t have to dress up, go out to multiple stores to find what you are looking for. You must be wondering why I’m giving you all this information? That’s because, you too can make money with eBay by selling to other consumers if you really try.

Selling Clothes on Ebay

One of the easiest ways to make money on eBay is to sell items you don’t use anymore, your old clothes, that corner table gathering dust or your old shoes. Why let old stuff lay around the house, occupy more space when you can sell them on eBay, make money and buy new things?

On my trip to India a few months back, I saw a television ad which was promoting a “6 month break up” challenge. They were encouraging people to get rid of anything they haven’t used in last 6 months because statistically if you haven’t used them for 6 months, it’s likely that you won’t use them in future as well. So why not declutter your house and wardrobe and make some money?

Let’s talk about how to sell clothes on eBay

More than anything, what keeps accumulating in our closet are clothes. Some are impulse purchases, others don’t fit us any more or may be out of season now. The best way to decide what to throw and what to keep is to ask yourself – if you had to shop right now, and saw this item on shelf would you buy it? If the answer is no, the item goes out!

Start small, pick one drawer and find out clothes to discard, once you have them, follow the following steps –

Research on eBay to evaluate the market for your garment. You can do so by checking on completed or sold listings to see what keywords are being used in association to it and how much are sellers selling them for.

Also dry clean or wash and iron your garments. You can replace the missing buttons if you have extras lying around in the house, get any stains off it and ensure that it is in the best possible condition. This would help you get the price you’ll demand for.

Take Quality Pictures

Take clear and quality pictures of your garments. This is one of the most important steps to make a sale online. Since your customer can’t feel or touch your clothes, your pictures are going to attract them to open your listing and check it out.

When taking pictures, laying them down on a table or a floor with a white background. If you don’t have one, you can use a white sheet or board as base. Then, take pics from all angles – front, back, neck and prints / patches or anything you feel is worth highlighting. Also take pictures of any defects in the item. This way you don’t have anything to hide and the buyer would not return the item or do a case on you for false or misleading information.

Picture Lighting

Always take pictures in daylight, this will enhance the natural colors of your clothing. If you still feel there’s not enough light and your pictures have come out dark, clean them by using editing software. I always prefer to use Picasa, it’s a free editing software and you can download it online.

Note – When editing, make sure that the image size is 500 x 500 px or more as required by eBay.

Be Detailed

Once you’ve taken the pictures, your next task is to write down the measurements and other details like color, cloth material, size, pockets etc. Include anything and everything you feel is relevant to your clothes and the buyer should know about. Remember, buyers don’t necessarily like surprises therefore, it’s better to provide them with all the information to avoid returns and refunds.

Listing Your Item

Now that you have the pictures and the details of your garment, it’s time to list your item on eBay.

Make sure your title is clear and contains all the necessary keywords like brand name, size, color etc. E.g. – Blue Cotton On Jeans For Women Size 30 High Waist

Add the item specifics and describe the condition of your garment. You can also add the reason for sale in the condition description, thereby making an emotional connection with your buyer. In the description box, write all the information you jotted down in step 4.

Use the information from research in step 1 to figure out if you want to sell your item at Buy It Now or Auction it. Looking at similar items will also help you decide how much you can / should sell it for. Don’t forget to add eBay (10%) and PayPal fees (2.9% + $0.3) to your final price to avoid paying for it from your pocket.

For shipping with used products, it’s best to keep it domestic. My advice would be to add the cost of shipping to your selling price and offer Free Shipping. Statistics has shown that 46% of customers cancel their orders if there is no free shipping, whereas, 75% of the customers will purchase more when there is free shipping included. Select the standard shipping option and handling time for up to 2 days.

Voila! You’ve made your eBay first listing and ready to make some money!

Answer any queries that come your way from consumers and when the item is sold, secure it in nicely, add a “Thank You” note to your buyer, put it in a box and ship it. Once you do so, add the tracking number in your listing and leave a feedback.

Repeat the steps to sell out old items lying around in the house and make more space for new ones while making more money.

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